Safer sex guidelines for dating with a person who is HIV-positive

For people falling in love with women who are HIV positive, we feel like you are playing with fire. How to do safer?

Following safer sex guidelines are of prime importance. These include:

If the HIV positive partner regularly takes her or his prescriptions and medications, it helps keep the viral load in the body lower, which decreases the chances that the virus will spread to an intimate other.

When having vaginal, anal, or oral sex, condoms, dental dams, and lube should be used. Always.

Mutual masturbation can be practiced without latex barriers as long as one is certain there are no open sores or injuries on ones hands.

If toys of any kind are used, always wash them with soap and water after each use. Silicone toys are often the easiest to clean — they can be boiled or tossed in the dishwasher.

If S&M activities that involve drawing blood will take place, make sure all equipment is washed and disinfected afterwards. Equipment should not be shared.

Know that if either partner has any other type of STI such as Chlamydia or herpes, HIV transmission risk increases.